Subcontractor quotes builders can accept in a minute
Price by the point, the metre or the lot, attach your licence and insurance, and let the builder accept online before their tender closes.
- 5/5 on G2
- 4.2 on Capterra
- Building QuoteCloud since 2013
Trade subcontractors use QuoteCloud to quote builders: rates come from their own catalogue by the point, metre or lot, options are priced but left out, and their licence and insurance sit in the quote. The builder accepts with an eSignature, and the accepted job can go to ServiceM8 or simPRO through Zapier.
A sample quote from a fictional electrical contractor, Sparrowhill Electrical, to the builder Corbel Building Co. for the Doyle rear extension: rough-in priced by the point and each, fit-off with power points, LED downlights, a switchboard upgrade and smoke alarms, $7,900 plus tax, and two options priced but not included, pendant points over the island and an EV charger circuit.
Your licence and insurance, in every quote
Before a builder's estimator can use your price, they need your licence number, your public liability cover and how you'll handle safety on site. Put them in one block of your quote template and they go out with every quote, instead of as attachments someone has to find.
Sparrowhill's block lists the electrical contractor licence, $10 million public liability, a certificate of compliance on completion and the safety method statement supplied before starting on site. The details are your own: QuoteCloud carries them, it doesn't check them.
- Written once, saved in the content library, used in every quote
- Locked so nobody edits the wording (content locking: Business)
- Accepted with an eSignature and a certificate, no account needed
Content library: Essentials and up · eSignatures: every plan
Content lockingLicence & insurance
- Electrical contractor licenceEC 48213Sample number · fictional business
- Public liability$10 millionPolicy PL-20457
- On completionCertificate of complianceIssued for all new work
- Site safetyMethod statement for electrical workSupplied before starting on site
Accept quote
Dan Okafor · Estimator, Corbel Building Co.
Signed online · 4 Feb, 10:32 am
Accepted for
- Job
- CB-2318 Doyle extension
- Subtotal
- $7,900 + tax
- Options
- Priced, not included
Certificate of authenticity and audit trail attached
Priced the way each trade works
Your rates live in your own catalogue with the unit you price by, so builders compare like with like.
Electrical
Rough-in and fit-off by the point, downlights and smoke alarms each, a switchboard upgrade as one line, and pendant or EV circuits as options.
Plumbing
Rough-in by the fixture, drainage by the metre, hot water as one line, and tapware as an item the builder's client selects.
Plastering
Plasterboard and cornice by the square metre, ceilings and walls on separate lines, and patching or bulkheads as options.
Roofing
Metal roofing and gutters by the square metre, flashings and downpipes by the metre, and a skylight or whirlybird as options.
Options priced, the builder decides
Price what you can't assume: pendant points over the island, an EV charger circuit to the garage. They sit as optional rows, priced but not included, so the builder can add them now or put them to the owners.
Sparrowhill's base price of $7,900 + tax becomes the electrical line in Corbel's estimate for the same extension. Tick an option in the sample to see the subtotal, tax and total change.
- Rates by the point, the metre or the lot from your catalogue
- Rough-in and fit-off as their own sections with subtotals
- Options as optional rows the builder can tick
Price tables and product catalogue: Essentials and up
How the builder's staged estimate uses your priceElectrical, Doyle rear extension
| Item | Qty | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rough-in | $3,480 | ||
Cabling to new pointsPower, lighting and switches
|
18 pts | $145 | $2,610.00 |
Kitchen circuitsOven, cooktop and rangehood
|
3 ea | $290 | $870.00 |
| Fit-off | $4,420 | ||
Power points & switchesWhite, standard range
|
18 pts | $55 | $990.00 |
LED downlightsDimmable, warm white
|
14 ea | $95 | $1,330.00 |
Switchboard upgradeNew board with RCBOs
|
1 ea | $1,650 | $1,650.00 |
Smoke alarmsInterconnected, hard-wired
|
3 ea | $150 | $450.00 |
| Options Tick to add | |||
| 3 ea | $140 | $420.00 | |
| 1 ea | $980 | $980.00 | |
- Subtotal
- $7,900.00
- Tax (10%)
- $790.00
- Total
- $8,690.00
- Plus, monthly
- $0.00/mo
Quote your next tender from QuoteCloud
Free for 14 days, no credit card required. Send us the quote template you use now and we'll convert one for you during the trial.
From the builder's drawings to an accepted quote
How a trade subcontractor prices a builder's job in QuoteCloud and gets it to every builder tendering.
Read the drawings
Count the points, fixtures or square metres from the builder's plans and note what you're leaving out.
Price from your catalogue
Add your rates by the point, metre or lot from the product catalogue, and add the options as optional rows.
Send to every builder tendering
Duplicate the quote for each builder, or bulk send personalised copies from one template (Essentials and up, volume-based costs).
See who has opened it
Document tracking shows which builders have opened your quote, so you follow up the right estimator before their tender closes.
Accepted online
The builder's estimator signs in the browser, no account needed. The signed quote carries a certificate and audit trail.
Sample quote · SE-0917
Accepted quote, new job
When Corbel accepts, a Zapier step can create the job in ServiceM8 or simPRO from the signed quote, so nobody in the office retypes the builder, the site or the price. Zapier connects from the Essentials plan.
Accounting & job management integrationsActivity
- Quote openedDan Okafor, Corbel
- Accepted and signedCertificate of authenticity attached
Subcontractor quoting questions
Can trade subcontractors use QuoteCloud to quote builders?
Yes. Electricians, plumbers, plasterers, roofers and other trades send quotes to builders from their own templates: rates from the product catalogue, rough-in and fit-off or other sections with subtotals, options priced but not included, and their licence and insurance in the quote. Price tables and the catalogue are on Essentials and above.
Does the builder need a QuoteCloud account to accept my quote?
No. The builder opens your quote from a link in any browser and accepts it with an eSignature, no account needed. eSignatures are included on every plan, and the signed quote carries a certificate of authenticity and an audit trail.
Can I include my licence and insurance details?
Yes. Put your licence number, public liability and other insurances, and your safety documents, in one block of your quote template or the content library, so every quote carries them. On the Business plan the block can be locked so it is used but not edited. QuoteCloud does not verify the details.
Can I send the same quote to several builders?
Yes. Duplicate the quote for each builder tendering the job, or bulk send personalised copies of one template to a list of recipients. Bulk send is on Essentials and above and has volume-based costs. Document tracking shows which builders have opened their copy.
Can I price by the point, the metre or the square metre?
Yes. Set up each rate in your product catalogue with its name, note and price, such as an electrical point, a metre of drainage or a square metre of plasterboard, then enter the quantity in the quote. Lines you don't keep in the catalogue can be added by hand.
Can an accepted quote create a job in ServiceM8 or simPRO?
Yes, through Zapier. A Zap can create the job in ServiceM8 or simPRO when a quote is accepted, using the details in the quote. Zapier, Make and the QuoteCloud API are available from the Essentials plan, and documents created through the API or Zapier have per-document fees.
Explore QuoteCloud for construction
Every page of QuoteCloud for construction, for builders and the trades who quote them.
-
Commercial fit-out proposals & tendersTrade packages, a programme, locked compliance content, approvals and several signers for commercial work.Explore
-
Accounting & job management integrationsWon jobs into Xero or QuickBooks, and on to simPRO, ServiceM8 or your calendar through Zapier.Explore
-
Cost book, rates & margin controlLabour, material and subcontract rates in one catalogue, with costs and margins your client never sees.Explore
- Staged estimates & building quotesEstimates broken into stages and trades, priced from your cost book, with upgrades the client can tick.
- PC sums, provisional sums & selectionsPrime cost and provisional sums set out clearly, and the client's selections and upgrades chosen before signing.
- Contracts, deposits & progress claim schedulesContracts signed by every owner, the deposit paid on signing, and the stage payment schedule set out in the contract.
- Plans, site photos & build schedulesDrawings, marked-up site photos and a Gantt build schedule inside the estimate, next to the price.
- Variations & change ordersEach variation its own document: the scope before and after, the new contract sum, signed on site before work starts.
- Construction templatesReal QuoteCloud templates for builders, renovators, roofers and subcontractors, ready to make your own.
- QuoteCloud implementation for buildersYour estimate template converted, cost book imported, insurances locked in, approvals and training.
- FAQAnswers to the questions builders, renovators and contractors ask most.
Quote every builder before the tender closes
Free for 14 days. No credit card required.